New CTERA platform enhancements simplify cloud migration and user security for enterprise file services and data protection

CTERA Networks has introduced new cloud data management capabilities that allow enterprise organisations to easily and securely implement comprehensive file service and data protection strategies.

The enhancements to the CTERA Enterprise File Services Platform enable IT organizations to migrate data across any data center and cloud infrastructure, optimise storage infrastructure costs through intelligent file management, and simplify user access to enterprise data through new identity management integrations.

The CTERA Enterprise File Services Platform enables enterprise IT to protect data and manage files across endpoints, offices, and the cloud – all within the organisation's on-premises or virtual on-premises cloud storage. The platform is powered by CTERA's cloud service delivery middleware that IT-as-a-Service (ITaaS) organisations leverage to create, deliver, and manage cloud storage-based services such as enterprise file sync and share (EFSS), in-cloud data protection, endpoint and remote server backup, and office storage modernisation.

New enhancements to the CTERA Enterprise File Services Platform include:

• Cloud Data Storage Migration: Organisations can now migrate data across cloud storage infrastructure without experiencing system downtime or end user service interruption. By seamlessly migrating data across storage nodes of any type or location, the CTERA Platform enables applications and data to easily and securely flow from one data center to any other data centre, helping organisations to avoid vendor and/or platform lock-in, and embrace cloud strategies with confidence.
• Information Lifecycle Management: The CTERA Platform leverages information lifecycle management tools from Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and NetApp StorageGRID to intelligently place files in cloud storage tiers according to their application profile. Long-term archive and backup data can be directed to low cost storage tiers, such as Amazon Web Services's (AWS) Amazon S3-Standard Infrequent Access tier (Standard – IA), while interactive data (EFSS content) can be stored on storage tiers that offer cost-optimised ingress and egress, helping to reduce customers' overall cloud infrastructure investments by 10 to 20 percent.
• SAML 2.0 and Support for Leading Single Sign-On (SSO) Utilities: CTERA now supports identity federation over Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) 2.0 to enable IT organisations to centralise corporate user identity management and provide SSO capabilities for file and backup access. In conjunction with support for this new standard, CTERA has now certified compatibility with leading SSO offerings, including Microsoft ADFS 2.0, Okta, OneLogin, and Ping Identity.

"As customers increasingly migrate their businesses to AWS, they realize the full value of our infrastructure as they reduce operational costs, scale their systems quickly and optimise for their strategic initiatives," said Bill Vass, Vice President of Technology, Amazon Web Services, Inc. "We're working with companies like CTERA to help IT organisations on their journey to secure cloud file services delivery and to intelligently utilise and optimise AWS engineering that enables the greatest levels of application performance and value."

"Organisations with the ability to leverage the right clouds for the right jobs are going to deliver significant business gains as they embrace new models of IT consumption," said Jeff Denworth, SVP Marketing, CTERA. "CTERA's IT-as-a-Service platform addresses multiple enterprise use cases with a single platform designed to help IT organisations become more efficient and enterprise end users become more productive."